Kathryn McKee
Currently UK Head of Communications & Social Performance for bp, I have more than 25 years’ experience in communications and external affairs and previously held roles at Shell, the NHS and public relations consultancies. I am a graduate of Heriot-Watt University (MA Interpreting & Translating), hold diplomas in public relations and public affairs and a chartered member of the Institute of Public Relations. I have been a board member of ISA since December 2024, having been nominated by bp for one of the corporate positions, and also sit on the board of the North-east’s leading STEM education charity TechFest.
An Aberdeen local, with experience of living and working abroad, my two children joined ISA three years ago from a local independent school. This has been a hugely positive experience and I am passionate about ensuring the continued success of the school for the benefit of current and future families, contributing to new initiatives to enhance and promote ISA’s unique and high-quality learning offer. In my first year on the board, I have sought to bring my experience in strategic communications, change management, corporate governance and long-standing knowledge of the local economy to bear to help ensure the school is well positioned to succeed in the local and international education market. I am relinquishing my position as bp’s corporate member due to a forthcoming career move but would be delighted to continue to serve the school board as an AGM elected member.
John Maudslay
I have worked in the City of London all my life, firstly at the Stock Exchange and then Lloyds of London. My career has been spent in underwriting and as a director and managing director of different Members’ agencies. I am currently a consultant with Helios Underwriting. I have been a Governor in three different schools over the past 25 years or so, serving on various committees. My most recent role was with Millfield School which is one of the largest co-educational boarding schools in Europe and a thriving international student cohort.
I was approached by Kevin Hawkins, COO of ISA, who knew me as a Governor of Millfield. He felt that the knowledge and expertise gained from my Governorship of other schools could be useful to ISA. I live in Perthshire, so fairly close to Aberdeen, and would be very happy to be of service to the school. I have served on several school Audit Committees and currently chair the Millfield Retirement Benefit Scheme. I was Chairman of Frewen College for 15 years during which time I re-organised the committee structure and management of the school. I have significant experience in most aspects of school governance and would be delighted to serve the ISA community.
J. Thomas Hewitt
I have two American degrees: a Bachelor of Science (=Scottish Master of Arts) (Furman University), comprising two separate majors, one in psychology and one in music; and a Master of Divinity (Covenant Theological Seminary). I also hold two Scottish degrees: a Master of Letters (St. Andrews) in Theology; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Edinburgh) in Divinity. Since 2017, I’ve worked as an academic in the field of ancient Jewish and Christian language, literature, and history, and since moving to Scotland in 2019, I’ve held positions first at the University of Aberdeen and now at the University of Edinburgh. I teach and supervise at all levels of tertiary education – undergraduate, masters, and doctoral. As Director of Postgraduate Studies in my school, I’m also involved in admissions, curriculum design, and program administration, with oversight of a portfolio of around 20 programs.
My wife Andrea and I have four children, all of whom are students at ISA, ranging Grades 1–8. As Americans living permanently in Aberdeen, we’re an international-local family with a dual perspective on the ISA experience. ISA is a very significant institution in our life, with a tremendous formative impact on our children. I believe strongly in ISA’s richness, value, and potential for even greater good, and as a Board member, I would want to lend my experience and perspective to the work of protecting and enhancing what ISA offers. Further, as many will be acutely aware, the independent education sector is facing unprecedented challenges while Aberdeen’s local economy is undergoing significant change. ISA is thus at a crossroads, working from a position of strength to weather a time of uncertainty. Therefore, I’m also seeking a position on the Board because I want to support a strategy for ISA’s sustainability that preserves the best of its identity and mission while envisioning thoughtfully how the school will evolve for the future. Among these valuable aspects of ISA’s culture, I place particular importance on the individualized attention that ISA teachers give each child and their enthusiasm for collaborating with parents. Finally, as an educator I have keen interest in each child at ISA receiving a remarkably excellent education. For me, this excellence entails an approach to education that draws on the best of both innovation and tradition, and that calibrates support and challenge in a way that facilitates the maximal individual development of each child. I’m therefore also seeking a Board position to support ISA’s realization of this ideal.
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